Roadmap for Change: Maine's Response to the Olmstead Decision
a report prepared by Maine’s Work Group for Community-Based Living

Acknowledgements
W e begin by thanking the many people who responded to requests for information and assistance in producing this document. The list of people who have contributed to this document is long, but we would like to make special mention of: Janet May from the Center for Community Inclusion, Art Jacobsen from the Bureau of Rehabilitation Service, and Gail Fanjoy from Katahdin Friends, Inc., for their assistance with the sections related employment; Cathy Cobb and Ellen Field from the Bureau of Elder and Adult Services, Sheldon Wheeler from the Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services, Cindy Namer and Don Sharland from the Maine State Housing Authority, William D. Burney, Jr. from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Bill Floyd from Shalom House for their assistance with the sections related to housing; Barbara Donovan from the Maine Department of Transportation, Chuck Baker and Jon McNulty of Cumberland County's Regional Transportation Program, Inc. (RTP), and Patricia Crocker, Executive Director of the Vermont Public Transportation Association for their assistance with the sections related to transportation. We are grateful to Dennis Fitzgibbons from Alpha One, Russell Anderson from AbilityMaine, Deb Gilmer from the Center for Community Inclusion, Dixie Leavitt from Speaking Up for Us, and Larry Gross from the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging, who gave us advice on the best way to get public input on this document; John Kierstead from the Department of Education and Pam Tetley from the Committee on Transition, who provided background information on anticipating the needs of persons with disabilities. We would also like to thank the many other state staff who added to their numerous other responsibilities the task of responding to Work Group requests for information. While your names are not listed here, your contribution is acknowledged and is very much appreciated.

We thank Maine’s State-wide Independent Living Council, which graciously opened its May 2001 planning summit to Work Group members. We learned much from that opportunity and have tried to apply those lessons here.

We would like to thank the Center for Health Care Strategies, which, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, made it possible for us to conduct the focus groups, case studies, and interviews, the data integration study and the inter-departmental collaboration study which have supported our efforts here.

We thank all of the people who participated in the focus groups, case studies and interviews. By willingly sharing your personal stories, you were the “Voices of Maine Consumers,” fueling many of the recommendations we make in this document. Your ideas were also the driving force behind a number of initiatives now funded under Quality Choices for Maine, a $2.3 million dollar grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

We thank the Department of Human Services, which has sponsored the Work Group’s efforts throughout by generously providing the necessary resources that have made this collaborative effort possible.

And lastly, we wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance provided to the Work Group by Muskie staff. To begin, we thank Donna Lerman and Stirling Kendall for facilitating monthly Work Group meetings. Donna helped us through our “forming” and “storming” stages, and Stirling picked up where Donna left off. We also thank Larry Glantz for drafting the Employment report, Catherine Ormond for assisting the Coordination Sub-Group and for taking the lead in producing the focus groups and case study reports, Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt for maintaining our website and cheerfully arranging meetings and special accommodations, and Danny Westcott for staffing the project as it neared completion.

The Work Group also extends its thanks to Stuart Bratesman and Eileen Griffin at the Muskie School. We thank Stuart for drafting the Transportation report and for staffing the Workforce Development Sub-Group and assisting the Coordination of Services Sub-Group. To Eileen, we offer special thanks for staffing the Work Group and for translating our shared vision of community integration into the Roadmap. Especially, we are grateful for Eileen’s daily effort and attention to the project. She kept us moving toward our goals, providing a constant flow of relevant information and the expressive expertise necessary to integrate facts, principles, and values into our developing plan.